{"id":1168,"date":"2026-07-12T17:11:43","date_gmt":"2026-07-12T17:11:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=1168"},"modified":"2026-07-12T17:11:43","modified_gmt":"2026-07-12T17:11:43","slug":"flashback-the-lindsey-graham-speech-that-turned-the-tide-for-brett-kavanaugh","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=1168","title":{"rendered":"FLASHBACK: The Lindsey Graham Speech That Turned The Tide For Brett Kavanaugh"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<p>Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) passed away on Saturday, and as the news circulated into the Sunday morning hours, friends and colleagues shared stories about his life and career. One moment stood out above many, however, appearing in dozens of tributes to the South Carolina lawmaker: his passionate and unwavering defense of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=1166\">What\u2019s Next For South Carolina?<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Graham was serving as the Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman when Kavanaugh was nominated to fill the seat vacated by retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy. He presided over the ensuing battle \u2014 which played out in a series of ugly and contentious hearings \u2014 after Democrats on the committee blindsided everyone with an 11th-hour sexual assault allegation against the nominee.<\/p>\n<p>On September 27, 2018, Graham made it clear that he had had enough.<\/p>\n<p><strong>WATCH:<\/strong><\/p>\n<div><iframe allowfullscreen=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/player.mux.com\/GJi1ZgvGyBYXXo4CA00cgBVBgJ5JZju97?metadata-video-content-type=embed_video&amp;metadata-video-id=4548b28f-7360-4c11-860c-f7349001625a&amp;metadata-video-stream-type=on-demand&amp;metadata-video-title=2026-7-12%20flashback%20Graham%20Kavanaugh%20&amp;poster=https%3A%2F%2Fdailywireplus-v2.imgix.net%2Fimages%2Fembedded-videos%2F5a77ac2e-a13e-4be8-b615-b3c4b6609b9c.jpg&amp;autoplay=false&amp;accent-color=%23DB3D3B&amp;primary-color=%23ffffff&amp;secondary-color=%23000000\" style=\"aspect-ratio:16\/9;max-width:100%;width:100%;margin:20px auto 5px;border:0\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>\u201cAre you aware that at 9:23 on the night of July the 9th, the day you were nominated to the Supreme Court by President Trump, Senator Schumer said 23-minutes after your nomination, \u2018I will oppose Judge Kavanaugh\u2019s nomination with everything I have, I have (sic) a bipartisan \u2014 and I hope a bipartisan majority will do the same. The stakes are simply too high for anything less.\u2019 Well, if you weren\u2019t aware of it, you are now,\u201d Graham began his questions to Kavanaugh. \u201cDid you meet with Senator Dianne Feinstein on August 20th?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI did meet with Senator Feinstein,\u201d Kavanaugh confirmed<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you know that her staff had already recommended a lawyer to Dr. Ford?\u201d Graham asked, referencing Kavanaugh\u2019s accuser, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI did not know that,\u201d he replied.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you know that her and her staff had this \u2014 allegations for over 20 days?\u201d Graham asked, suggesting that Feinstein had sat on the accusation until she believed it could do the most damage.<\/p>\n<p>Kavanaugh said he had not been aware of that.<\/p>\n<p>Turning to the Democrats on the committee, Graham unloaded both barrels: \u201cIf you wanted a FBI investigation, you could have come to us. What you want to do is destroy this guy\u2019s life, hold this seat open and hope you win in 2020. You\u2019ve said that, not me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019ve got nothing to apologize for,\u201d he said to Kavanaugh.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen you see Sotomayor and Kagan, tell them that Lindsey said hello because I voted for them,\u201d He turned his attention back to the Democrats. \u201cI would never do to them what you\u2019ve done to this guy. This is the most unethical sham since I\u2019ve been in politics. And if you really wanted to know the truth, you sure as hell wouldn\u2019t have done what you\u2019ve done to this guy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>To Kavanaugh, he asked: \u201cAre you a gang rapist?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI cannot imagine what you and your family have gone through,\u201d Graham continued.<\/p>\n<p>To the Democrats, he lashed out: \u201cBoy, you all want power. God, I hope you never get it. I hope the American people can see through this sham. That you knew about it and you held it. You had no intention of protecting Dr. Ford; none.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe\u2019s as much of a victim as you are. God, I hate to say it because these have been my friends,\u201d he said to Kavanaugh. \u201cBut let me tell you, when it comes to this, you\u2019re looking for a fair process? You came to the wrong town at the wrong time, my friend. Do you consider this a job interview? \u2026 Do you consider that you\u2019ve been through a job interview?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve been through a process of advice and consent under the Constitution, which \u2026\u201d Kavanaugh began, but Graham interrupted.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=1164\">Iran Just Provoked Another U.S. Response<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWould you say you\u2019ve been through hell?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI \u2014 I\u2019ve been through hell and then some,\u201d Kavanaugh conceded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is not a job interview,\u201d Graham said. \u201cThis is hell.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis \u2014 this \u2026\u201d Kavanaugh struggled for the right words.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is going to destroy the ability of good people to come forward because of this crap. Your high school yearbook \u2014 you have interacted with professional women all your life, not one accusation,\u201d Graham continued. \u201cYou\u2019re supposed to be Bill Cosby when you\u2019re a junior and senior in high school. And all of a sudden, you got over it. It\u2019s been my understanding that if you drug women and rape them for two years in high school, you probably don\u2019t stop.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHere\u2019s my understanding, if you lived a good life people would recognize it, like the American Bar Association has, the gold standard. His integrity is absolutely unquestioned. He is the very circumspect in his personal conduct, harbors no biases or prejudices. He\u2019s entirely ethical, is a really decent person. He is warm, friendly, unassuming. He\u2019s the nicest person \u2014 the ABA,\u201d Graham continued. \u201cThe one thing I can tell you should be proud of \u2014 Ashley, you should be proud of this \u2014 that you raised a daughter who had the good character to pray for Dr. Ford.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Graham then turned his ire on his own party, warning them not to fall prey to the spectacle being put on for them: \u201cTo my Republican colleagues, if you vote no, you\u2019re legitimizing the most despicable thing I have seen in my time in politics. You want this seat? I hope you never get it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI hope you\u2019re on the Supreme Court, that\u2019s exactly where you should be,\u201d he said to Kavanaugh. \u201cAnd I hope that the American people will see through this charade. And I wish you well. And I intend to vote for you and I hope everybody who\u2019s fair-minded will.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Graham\u2019s position \u2014 and his outrage \u2014 were abundantly clear, but throughout the process he was still able to keep his legendary sense of humor. During one hallway chat with reporters, for example, a protester interrupted the gaggle and called for Kavanaugh to take a polygraph.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019ve humiliated this guy enough, and there seems to be no bottom for some of you,\u201d Graham said of Kavanaugh \u2014 and the ongoing witch hunt targeting him \u2014 a woman behind him interrupted to demand the Supreme Court nominee take a polygraph.<\/p>\n<p>Without turning to acknowledge her, Graham quipped, \u201cWhy don\u2019t we dunk him in water and see if he floats?\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Never forget Lindsey Graham\u2019s amazing sense of humor\u2014during the heated Kavanaugh confirmation fight:<\/p>\n<p>Protester: Kavanaugh should take a polygraph.<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Lindsey Graham: \u201cWhy don\u2019t we dunk him in water and see if he floats?\u201d pic.twitter.com\/ynTRuOavho<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=1163\">Tributes Pour In After Lindsey Graham\u2019s Sudden Passing<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) July 12, 2026<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) passed away on Saturday, and as the news circulated into the Sunday morning hours, friends and colleagues shared stories about his life and career. One moment stood out above many, however, appearing in dozens of tributes to the South Carolina lawmaker: his passionate and unwavering defense of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.Graham was serving as the Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman when Kavanaugh was nominated to fill the seat vacated by retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy. He presided over the ensuing battle \u2014 which played out in a series of ugly and contentious hearings \u2014 after Democrats on the committee blindsided everyone with an 11th-hour sexual assault allegation against the nominee.On September 27, 2018, Graham made it clear that he had had enough.WATCH:\u201cAre you aware that at 9:23 on the night of July the 9th, the day you were nominated to the Supreme Court by President Trump, Senator Schumer said 23-minutes after your nomination, \u2018I will oppose Judge Kavanaugh\u2019s nomination with everything I have, I have (sic) a bipartisan \u2014 and I hope a bipartisan majority will do the same. The stakes are simply too high for anything less.\u2019 Well, if you weren\u2019t aware of it, you are now,\u201d Graham began his questions to Kavanaugh. \u201cDid you meet with Senator Dianne Feinstein on August 20th?\u201d\u201cI did meet with Senator Feinstein,\u201d Kavanaugh confirmed\u201cDid you know that her staff had already recommended a lawyer to Dr. Ford?\u201d Graham asked, referencing Kavanaugh\u2019s accuser, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford.\u201cI did not know that,\u201d he replied.\u201cDid you know that her and her staff had this \u2014 allegations for over 20 days?\u201d Graham asked, suggesting that Feinstein had sat on the accusation until she believed it could do the most damage.Kavanaugh said he had not been aware of that.Turning to the Democrats on the committee, Graham unloaded both barrels: \u201cIf you wanted a FBI investigation, you could have come to us. What you want to do is destroy this guy\u2019s life, hold this seat open and hope you win in 2020. You\u2019ve said that, not me.\u201d\u201cYou\u2019ve got nothing to apologize for,\u201d he said to Kavanaugh.\u201cWhen you see Sotomayor and Kagan, tell them that Lindsey said hello because I voted for them,\u201d He turned his attention back to the Democrats. \u201cI would never do to them what you\u2019ve done to this guy. This is the most unethical sham since I\u2019ve been in politics. And if you really wanted to know the truth, you sure as hell wouldn\u2019t have done what you\u2019ve done to this guy.\u201dTo Kavanaugh, he asked: \u201cAre you a gang rapist?\u201d\u201cNo.\u201d\u201cI cannot imagine what you and your family have gone through,\u201d Graham continued.To the Democrats, he lashed out: \u201cBoy, you all want power. God, I hope you never get it. I hope the American people can see through this sham. That you knew about it and you held it. You had no intention of protecting Dr. Ford; none.\u201d\u201cShe\u2019s as much of a victim as you are. God, I hate to say it because these have been my friends,\u201d he said to Kavanaugh. \u201cBut let me tell you, when it comes to this, you\u2019re looking for a fair process? You came to the wrong town at the wrong time, my friend. Do you consider this a job interview? \u2026 Do you consider that you\u2019ve been through a job interview?\u201d\u201cI\u2019ve been through a process of advice and consent under the Constitution, which \u2026\u201d Kavanaugh began, but Graham interrupted.\u201cWould you say you\u2019ve been through hell?\u201d\u201cI \u2014 I\u2019ve been through hell and then some,\u201d Kavanaugh conceded.\u201cThis is not a job interview,\u201d Graham said. \u201cThis is hell.\u201d\u201cThis \u2014 this \u2026\u201d Kavanaugh struggled for the right words.\u201cThis is going to destroy the ability of good people to come forward because of this crap. Your high school yearbook \u2014 you have interacted with professional women all your life, not one accusation,\u201d Graham continued. \u201cYou\u2019re supposed to be Bill Cosby when you\u2019re a junior and senior in high school. And all of a sudden, you got over it. It\u2019s been my understanding that if you drug women and rape them for two years in high school, you probably don\u2019t stop.\u201d\u201cHere\u2019s my understanding, if you lived a good life people would recognize it, like the American Bar Association has, the gold standard. His integrity is absolutely unquestioned. He is the very circumspect in his personal conduct, harbors no biases or prejudices. He\u2019s entirely ethical, is a really decent person. He is warm, friendly, unassuming. He\u2019s the nicest person \u2014 the ABA,\u201d Graham continued. \u201cThe one thing I can tell you should be proud of \u2014 Ashley, you should be proud of this \u2014 that you raised a daughter who had the good character to pray for Dr. Ford.\u201dGraham then turned his ire on his own party, warning them not to fall prey to the spectacle being put on for them: \u201cTo my Republican colleagues, if you vote no, you\u2019re legitimizing the most despicable thing I have seen in my time in politics. You want this seat? I hope you never get it.\u201d\u201cI hope you\u2019re on the Supreme Court, that\u2019s exactly where you should be,\u201d he said to Kavanaugh. \u201cAnd I hope that the American people will see through this charade. And I wish you well. And I intend to vote for you and I hope everybody who\u2019s fair-minded will.\u201dGraham\u2019s position \u2014 and his outrage \u2014 were abundantly clear, but throughout the process he was still able to keep his legendary sense of humor. During one hallway chat with reporters, for example, a protester interrupted the gaggle and called for Kavanaugh to take a polygraph.\u201cYou\u2019ve humiliated this guy enough, and there seems to be no bottom for some of you,\u201d Graham said of Kavanaugh \u2014 and the ongoing witch hunt targeting him \u2014 a woman behind him interrupted to demand the Supreme Court nominee take a polygraph.Without turning to acknowledge her, Graham quipped, \u201cWhy don\u2019t we dunk him in water and see if he floats?\u201dNever forget Lindsey Graham\u2019s amazing sense of humor\u2014during the heated Kavanaugh confirmation fight:Protester: Kavanaugh should take a polygraph.Sen. Lindsey Graham: \u201cWhy don\u2019t we dunk him in water and see if he floats?\u201d pic.twitter.com\/ynTRuOavho\u2014 Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) July 12, 2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1167,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1168","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-2"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>FLASHBACK: The Lindsey Graham Speech That Turned The Tide For Brett Kavanaugh - Blue Route Journal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=1168\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"FLASHBACK: The Lindsey Graham Speech That Turned The Tide For Brett Kavanaugh - Blue Route Journal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) passed away on Saturday, and as the news circulated into the Sunday morning hours, friends and colleagues shared stories about his life and career. One moment stood out above many, however, appearing in dozens of tributes to the South Carolina lawmaker: his passionate and unwavering defense of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.Graham was serving as the Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman when Kavanaugh was nominated to fill the seat vacated by retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy. He presided over the ensuing battle \u2014 which played out in a series of ugly and contentious hearings \u2014 after Democrats on the committee blindsided everyone with an 11th-hour sexual assault allegation against the nominee.On September 27, 2018, Graham made it clear that he had had enough.WATCH:\u201cAre you aware that at 9:23 on the night of July the 9th, the day you were nominated to the Supreme Court by President Trump, Senator Schumer said 23-minutes after your nomination, \u2018I will oppose Judge Kavanaugh\u2019s nomination with everything I have, I have (sic) a bipartisan \u2014 and I hope a bipartisan majority will do the same. The stakes are simply too high for anything less.\u2019 Well, if you weren\u2019t aware of it, you are now,\u201d Graham began his questions to Kavanaugh. \u201cDid you meet with Senator Dianne Feinstein on August 20th?\u201d\u201cI did meet with Senator Feinstein,\u201d Kavanaugh confirmed\u201cDid you know that her staff had already recommended a lawyer to Dr. Ford?\u201d Graham asked, referencing Kavanaugh\u2019s accuser, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford.\u201cI did not know that,\u201d he replied.\u201cDid you know that her and her staff had this \u2014 allegations for over 20 days?\u201d Graham asked, suggesting that Feinstein had sat on the accusation until she believed it could do the most damage.Kavanaugh said he had not been aware of that.Turning to the Democrats on the committee, Graham unloaded both barrels: \u201cIf you wanted a FBI investigation, you could have come to us. What you want to do is destroy this guy\u2019s life, hold this seat open and hope you win in 2020. You\u2019ve said that, not me.\u201d\u201cYou\u2019ve got nothing to apologize for,\u201d he said to Kavanaugh.\u201cWhen you see Sotomayor and Kagan, tell them that Lindsey said hello because I voted for them,\u201d He turned his attention back to the Democrats. \u201cI would never do to them what you\u2019ve done to this guy. This is the most unethical sham since I\u2019ve been in politics. And if you really wanted to know the truth, you sure as hell wouldn\u2019t have done what you\u2019ve done to this guy.\u201dTo Kavanaugh, he asked: \u201cAre you a gang rapist?\u201d\u201cNo.\u201d\u201cI cannot imagine what you and your family have gone through,\u201d Graham continued.To the Democrats, he lashed out: \u201cBoy, you all want power. God, I hope you never get it. I hope the American people can see through this sham. That you knew about it and you held it. You had no intention of protecting Dr. Ford; none.\u201d\u201cShe\u2019s as much of a victim as you are. God, I hate to say it because these have been my friends,\u201d he said to Kavanaugh. \u201cBut let me tell you, when it comes to this, you\u2019re looking for a fair process? You came to the wrong town at the wrong time, my friend. Do you consider this a job interview? \u2026 Do you consider that you\u2019ve been through a job interview?\u201d\u201cI\u2019ve been through a process of advice and consent under the Constitution, which \u2026\u201d Kavanaugh began, but Graham interrupted.\u201cWould you say you\u2019ve been through hell?\u201d\u201cI \u2014 I\u2019ve been through hell and then some,\u201d Kavanaugh conceded.\u201cThis is not a job interview,\u201d Graham said. \u201cThis is hell.\u201d\u201cThis \u2014 this \u2026\u201d Kavanaugh struggled for the right words.\u201cThis is going to destroy the ability of good people to come forward because of this crap. Your high school yearbook \u2014 you have interacted with professional women all your life, not one accusation,\u201d Graham continued. \u201cYou\u2019re supposed to be Bill Cosby when you\u2019re a junior and senior in high school. And all of a sudden, you got over it. It\u2019s been my understanding that if you drug women and rape them for two years in high school, you probably don\u2019t stop.\u201d\u201cHere\u2019s my understanding, if you lived a good life people would recognize it, like the American Bar Association has, the gold standard. His integrity is absolutely unquestioned. He is the very circumspect in his personal conduct, harbors no biases or prejudices. He\u2019s entirely ethical, is a really decent person. He is warm, friendly, unassuming. He\u2019s the nicest person \u2014 the ABA,\u201d Graham continued. \u201cThe one thing I can tell you should be proud of \u2014 Ashley, you should be proud of this \u2014 that you raised a daughter who had the good character to pray for Dr. Ford.\u201dGraham then turned his ire on his own party, warning them not to fall prey to the spectacle being put on for them: \u201cTo my Republican colleagues, if you vote no, you\u2019re legitimizing the most despicable thing I have seen in my time in politics. You want this seat? I hope you never get it.\u201d\u201cI hope you\u2019re on the Supreme Court, that\u2019s exactly where you should be,\u201d he said to Kavanaugh. \u201cAnd I hope that the American people will see through this charade. And I wish you well. And I intend to vote for you and I hope everybody who\u2019s fair-minded will.\u201dGraham\u2019s position \u2014 and his outrage \u2014 were abundantly clear, but throughout the process he was still able to keep his legendary sense of humor. During one hallway chat with reporters, for example, a protester interrupted the gaggle and called for Kavanaugh to take a polygraph.\u201cYou\u2019ve humiliated this guy enough, and there seems to be no bottom for some of you,\u201d Graham said of Kavanaugh \u2014 and the ongoing witch hunt targeting him \u2014 a woman behind him interrupted to demand the Supreme Court nominee take a polygraph.Without turning to acknowledge her, Graham quipped, \u201cWhy don\u2019t we dunk him in water and see if he floats?\u201dNever forget Lindsey Graham\u2019s amazing sense of humor\u2014during the heated Kavanaugh confirmation fight:Protester: Kavanaugh should take a polygraph.Sen. Lindsey Graham: \u201cWhy don\u2019t we dunk him in water and see if he floats?\u201d pic.twitter.com\/ynTRuOavho\u2014 Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) July 12, 2026\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=1168\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Blue Route Journal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-12T17:11:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/?p=1168#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/?p=1168\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/19da116f8d79cf8987781569801c6b7c\"},\"headline\":\"FLASHBACK: The Lindsey Graham Speech That Turned The Tide For Brett Kavanaugh\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-12T17:11:43+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/?p=1168\"},\"wordCount\":1113,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/?p=1168#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/415056664d65fdb9a17c574247bc2701.avif\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/?p=1168#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/?p=1168\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/?p=1168\",\"name\":\"FLASHBACK: The Lindsey Graham Speech That Turned The Tide For Brett Kavanaugh - 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Blue Route Journal","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=1168","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"FLASHBACK: The Lindsey Graham Speech That Turned The Tide For Brett Kavanaugh - Blue Route Journal","og_description":"Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) passed away on Saturday, and as the news circulated into the Sunday morning hours, friends and colleagues shared stories about his life and career. One moment stood out above many, however, appearing in dozens of tributes to the South Carolina lawmaker: his passionate and unwavering defense of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.Graham was serving as the Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman when Kavanaugh was nominated to fill the seat vacated by retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy. He presided over the ensuing battle \u2014 which played out in a series of ugly and contentious hearings \u2014 after Democrats on the committee blindsided everyone with an 11th-hour sexual assault allegation against the nominee.On September 27, 2018, Graham made it clear that he had had enough.WATCH:\u201cAre you aware that at 9:23 on the night of July the 9th, the day you were nominated to the Supreme Court by President Trump, Senator Schumer said 23-minutes after your nomination, \u2018I will oppose Judge Kavanaugh\u2019s nomination with everything I have, I have (sic) a bipartisan \u2014 and I hope a bipartisan majority will do the same. The stakes are simply too high for anything less.\u2019 Well, if you weren\u2019t aware of it, you are now,\u201d Graham began his questions to Kavanaugh. \u201cDid you meet with Senator Dianne Feinstein on August 20th?\u201d\u201cI did meet with Senator Feinstein,\u201d Kavanaugh confirmed\u201cDid you know that her staff had already recommended a lawyer to Dr. Ford?\u201d Graham asked, referencing Kavanaugh\u2019s accuser, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford.\u201cI did not know that,\u201d he replied.\u201cDid you know that her and her staff had this \u2014 allegations for over 20 days?\u201d Graham asked, suggesting that Feinstein had sat on the accusation until she believed it could do the most damage.Kavanaugh said he had not been aware of that.Turning to the Democrats on the committee, Graham unloaded both barrels: \u201cIf you wanted a FBI investigation, you could have come to us. What you want to do is destroy this guy\u2019s life, hold this seat open and hope you win in 2020. You\u2019ve said that, not me.\u201d\u201cYou\u2019ve got nothing to apologize for,\u201d he said to Kavanaugh.\u201cWhen you see Sotomayor and Kagan, tell them that Lindsey said hello because I voted for them,\u201d He turned his attention back to the Democrats. \u201cI would never do to them what you\u2019ve done to this guy. This is the most unethical sham since I\u2019ve been in politics. And if you really wanted to know the truth, you sure as hell wouldn\u2019t have done what you\u2019ve done to this guy.\u201dTo Kavanaugh, he asked: \u201cAre you a gang rapist?\u201d\u201cNo.\u201d\u201cI cannot imagine what you and your family have gone through,\u201d Graham continued.To the Democrats, he lashed out: \u201cBoy, you all want power. God, I hope you never get it. I hope the American people can see through this sham. That you knew about it and you held it. You had no intention of protecting Dr. Ford; none.\u201d\u201cShe\u2019s as much of a victim as you are. God, I hate to say it because these have been my friends,\u201d he said to Kavanaugh. \u201cBut let me tell you, when it comes to this, you\u2019re looking for a fair process? You came to the wrong town at the wrong time, my friend. Do you consider this a job interview? \u2026 Do you consider that you\u2019ve been through a job interview?\u201d\u201cI\u2019ve been through a process of advice and consent under the Constitution, which \u2026\u201d Kavanaugh began, but Graham interrupted.\u201cWould you say you\u2019ve been through hell?\u201d\u201cI \u2014 I\u2019ve been through hell and then some,\u201d Kavanaugh conceded.\u201cThis is not a job interview,\u201d Graham said. \u201cThis is hell.\u201d\u201cThis \u2014 this \u2026\u201d Kavanaugh struggled for the right words.\u201cThis is going to destroy the ability of good people to come forward because of this crap. Your high school yearbook \u2014 you have interacted with professional women all your life, not one accusation,\u201d Graham continued. \u201cYou\u2019re supposed to be Bill Cosby when you\u2019re a junior and senior in high school. And all of a sudden, you got over it. It\u2019s been my understanding that if you drug women and rape them for two years in high school, you probably don\u2019t stop.\u201d\u201cHere\u2019s my understanding, if you lived a good life people would recognize it, like the American Bar Association has, the gold standard. His integrity is absolutely unquestioned. He is the very circumspect in his personal conduct, harbors no biases or prejudices. He\u2019s entirely ethical, is a really decent person. He is warm, friendly, unassuming. He\u2019s the nicest person \u2014 the ABA,\u201d Graham continued. \u201cThe one thing I can tell you should be proud of \u2014 Ashley, you should be proud of this \u2014 that you raised a daughter who had the good character to pray for Dr. Ford.\u201dGraham then turned his ire on his own party, warning them not to fall prey to the spectacle being put on for them: \u201cTo my Republican colleagues, if you vote no, you\u2019re legitimizing the most despicable thing I have seen in my time in politics. You want this seat? I hope you never get it.\u201d\u201cI hope you\u2019re on the Supreme Court, that\u2019s exactly where you should be,\u201d he said to Kavanaugh. \u201cAnd I hope that the American people will see through this charade. And I wish you well. And I intend to vote for you and I hope everybody who\u2019s fair-minded will.\u201dGraham\u2019s position \u2014 and his outrage \u2014 were abundantly clear, but throughout the process he was still able to keep his legendary sense of humor. During one hallway chat with reporters, for example, a protester interrupted the gaggle and called for Kavanaugh to take a polygraph.\u201cYou\u2019ve humiliated this guy enough, and there seems to be no bottom for some of you,\u201d Graham said of Kavanaugh \u2014 and the ongoing witch hunt targeting him \u2014 a woman behind him interrupted to demand the Supreme Court nominee take a polygraph.Without turning to acknowledge her, Graham quipped, \u201cWhy don\u2019t we dunk him in water and see if he floats?\u201dNever forget Lindsey Graham\u2019s amazing sense of humor\u2014during the heated Kavanaugh confirmation fight:Protester: Kavanaugh should take a polygraph.Sen. Lindsey Graham: \u201cWhy don\u2019t we dunk him in water and see if he floats?\u201d pic.twitter.com\/ynTRuOavho\u2014 Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) July 12, 2026","og_url":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=1168","og_site_name":"Blue Route Journal","article_published_time":"2026-07-12T17:11:43+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=1168#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=1168"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/#\/schema\/person\/19da116f8d79cf8987781569801c6b7c"},"headline":"FLASHBACK: The Lindsey Graham Speech That Turned The Tide For Brett Kavanaugh","datePublished":"2026-07-12T17:11:43+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=1168"},"wordCount":1113,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=1168#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/415056664d65fdb9a17c574247bc2701.avif","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=1168#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=1168","url":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=1168","name":"FLASHBACK: The Lindsey Graham Speech That Turned The Tide For Brett Kavanaugh - 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